When I think back to 2025, it felt like a year where the pace of change just kept picking up.
Work was shifting quickly, and for many people it felt like it was happening faster than they could comfortably keep up with.
AI moved from something we actively chose to use. To something sitting quietly in the background of everyday work. And while that made some things easier, it also created new challenges. Particularly around how people learn, adapt and keep adjusting as work continues to evolve.
So, I want to share our view on the biggest shifts we saw in 2025, and what we think they mean as we move into 2026.
One of the biggest changes we saw was in how people expect learning to work.
Generally speaking, people want learning to feel like the rest of their lives – which is now instant and personalised.
Across the organisations we work with people increasingly want quick answers at the moment they need them; learning that feels specific to their role and situation, examples they can apply straight away and opportunities to practise and get feedback, not just absorb information.
This shift is largely driven by how we’re all using AI day to day. When you can get an instant answer from AI you naturally start expecting the same from performance support and learning.
What that’s led to is two quite different types of learning. On the one hand, there’s performance support – the just-in-time, now often AI-enabled help people need in the moment. And on the other, there’s deeper, programme-based learning that focuses on behaviour change.
When organisations focus on AI adoption, they often start with the technical side.
Teaching people how the tools work, how models behave, how to prompt effectively. That’s important, but interestingly, it’s usually the easiest part.
Most people pick up AI tools fairly quickly once they’ve seen a few practical examples. The harder part is everything that wraps around the technology.
As AI takes on more execution work, managers and leaders are left navigating a workplace that’s constantly shifting. Workflows change, expectations change, roles evolve, and with that comes a lot more ambiguity.
The support managers need tends to fall in to 3 areas:
First, tools – understanding AI enough to know when to use it, what it can and can’t do, and where the limitations are.
Second, thinking – redesigning how work gets done.
Deciding how work should flow, making decisions with incomplete information and applying judgement, critical thinking and systems thinking. These are skills managers have always needed, but many still feel stretched here, especially as change accelerates.
And third, teams – communicating clearly.
Resetting expectations, coaching people through change, and keeping teams grounded when things are moving quickly. Again, these are not new skills, but they’ve become much more visible and much more important.
Another clear lesson from 2025 is that behaviour change has become more important, not less.
AI has made performance support easier than ever. You can get step-by-step guidance, examples and answers instantly.
But the behaviours that shape how people lead, collaborate and make decisions have become even more critical.
Managers are increasingly expected to lead confidently without having all the answers. Keep people motivated through constant reinvention, help teams stay adaptable, and create clarity when the direction is still forming.
Those are deeply human capabilities. And they’re the ones organisations struggled with most.
So what does all this mean as we move into 2026?
From what we’re seeing already, teams will increasingly be part human and part AI with managers responsible for helping the two work well together.
L&D will continue to shift into a more enablement-focused role – curating, shaping and guiding learning rather than building everything from scratch.
Managers will need to feel confident redesigning workflows, communicating clearly and supporting people through ongoing change.
And behaviour-change programmes will matter even more, because they build the skills that AI simply can’t replicate.
If 2025 showed us anything, it’s that technology isn’t the limiting factor.
Human capability is.
As work continues to evolve, the organisations that do best will be the ones that invest in helping their people think clearly, lead well and adapt with confidence – even when things aren’t fully formed.
If you have been thinking about leadership training for your managers and are ready to take the next step you can contact us here for more information or request a brochure of our leadership programmes.
Louise Puddifoot is the founder of Willow & Puddifoot. She and her team CRAFT™ confident, capable leaders at every stage. With over 20 years’ experience in leadership and learning, Louise designs practical development that builds confidence, capability, and impact. Her work is built on the CRAFT™ Leadership Framework, focusing on communication, resilience, authenticity, future focus, and transformation, to create real behaviour change that lasts.
If you have any questions about this article you can contact Louise who would love to hear from you.